The vast interior of this new continent was wrapped in total obscurity; and excited, perhaps on that very account, full as much curiosity as did the forms of the shores.

In this edited selection of his journals, Matthew Flinders, Australia's greatest navigator and the man who named our island continent, describes in captivating detail his epic mission to map our shores between 1796 and 1803.

About the Author

Born in Melbourne in 1956, Tim Flannery is a writer, scientist and explorer. He has written many award-winning books including The Future Eaters, Throwim Way Leg and Country. In 2005 The Weather Makers was published and became an international bestseller.

Tim is a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, the National Geographic Society’s Australasian representative and a director of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy.

In January 2007 Tim Flannery was named Australian of the Year and in October 2011 he was given the distinction of ‘Officer of Saint Charles’ by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.